CHARLOTTE — Tom Allen’s first season as the defensive coordinator at Clemson was a mixed bag.

The Tigers showed improvements in some areas, particularly with the run defense, while also taking a step back in others. Most notably, the pass defense, as the secondary didn’t come close to meeting the standard. Allen’s defense allowed 255.6 passing yards per game, which ranked 120th nationally.

During the ACC Kickoff on Thursday, linebacker Sammy Brown detailed what he believes went into some of the defensive struggles a season ago.

“A couple of times last year, when we faced adversity, it kind of just shocked us,” Brown said. “Like, we just stood back, and then one thing turns into another, and then we lost to Georgia Tech, and the next week we didn’t even show up against Syracuse. So, stuff like that. When adversity hits, just learning how, okay, it didn’t go the way I wanted it to, but I need to forget about it, put it in the past and move on to the next play, the next game.”

With this unit entering its second season under Allen’s leadership, more is going to be expected on that side of the ball. Not to mention, all of the reinforcements brought in from the portal.

However, more so than statistical improvements, what the defense is really striving for is more wins. The 7-6 mark last season represented a major step back for a program that was coming off an appearance in the College Football Playoff the season prior. And heading into the coming season, there is a determination to get the program’s trajectory heading back in the right direction.

“I do sense a sense of urgency,” Brown said. “I would say a sense of urgency because we love everybody in that building. I think there are relationships inside that building like, ‘I am going to get it right for you and you are going to get it right for me.’ That is where the sense of urgency comes from. And that applies to everybody.”

Photo courtesy of Neil Redmond/The ACC